Tag Archives: ephemera

Archives has been cleaning out old junk from their office. They leave it outside the door with a “free” sign, for people to take. I periodically wander by to see what’s on offer. One day it was a giant box of hanging file folders (excellent score for the genealogy stash!), another it was a bunch of engraving plates, and most recently, it was a large, crumbly roll of old posters. I didn’t realize they were all the same poster when I took the entire roll, but that’s okay. They’re interesting and will be a nice addition to the collage stash, when I finally get them home.

A coworker found this in a drawer she was cleaning out. She thought I’d like to look at it, so she brought it to work. I got permission from her to scan, transcribe, and upload the entire album, so that other people could look at it. It might be of use for genealogical research.

The album belonged to Mr. James Thomas Ricketts, a teacher at the Yorktown School, in Yorktown, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Most of the entries are from 1886, with a few later ones in 1890. Yorktown no longer exists. It was de-platted in 1969. All that remains is a cemetery.

I’m finished transcribing all the entries, but I’ve only had time to do a few cursory look ups in the Census records. The entire album can be seen here.

I ordered these from an Etsy seller. In total, 185 photos for $35 plus shipping (which was cheap). I’ve only taken a quick shifty through them, but they look to be mostly from the same family. Lots of WWII era photos. Lots of vacation photos. LOTS AND LOTS of picnic photos. A project is taking shape in my mind.

“Smart dog owners carry leashes wound on spring reels. The leashes encased in Tenite are styled in lustrous colors to match almost any costume. By simply pressing a small switch on the handle, the dog may be controlled at any desired distance. Tenite will withstand rough handling without denting or chipping.”

Just in case you thought retractable leads were a relatively new thing. Who knew?!

At first glance, I thought this woman looked dead. She certainly looks odd. I think part of it is the paleness of her irises. The curling of her hands also seemed strange, but after looking at other portraits from that time, it’s clear that this was a common pose for women. Even so, the position of her left arm, behind the girl, seems stiff and awkward. It’s not a conventionally “pretty” portrait, but I think it’s an interesting one.

I’ve been working on putting together a mini-website for the letters I got from my aunt. I’m conflicted about them. On the one hand, they’re an amazing little time capsule from World War II, but on the other, there’s a lot of racist language in them that I’m not comfortable with perpetuating. I think, though, that the letters’ historical value outweighs the racism (and other -isms I’m sure I’ll encounter as I work on transcribing them).

I also have trouble with the glorification of killing and the military industrial complex, so it’s difficult for me to warm up to “characters” who inhabit that world. I believe deeply in the importance of pacifism; war is never the answer. And so, the whole project is problematic for me for a whole lot of reasons. That doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s worthwhile, though.

At this point, my plan is to just transcribe the letters. I don’t think I’ll scan them and put the images online, though I do want to include any items contained in the envelopes (photos, newspaper clippings, etc.).